Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath raising concerns over the rollout of smart prepaid electricity meters in the state, alleging consumer inconvenience and lack of transparency in the process.

In his letter, Rai said while over 74.48 lakh smart prepaid meters have been installed so far, nearly 69.64 lakh consumer meters were converted to prepaid without prior notice. Terming it a violation of “natural justice”, Rai said the move has triggered widespread public resentment.

Under the disconnection drive, power connections of over 5.79 lakh consumers were cut, leaving many households without electricity, he claimed.

He also pointed out that there were complaints even after dues were paid and the power supply was not being restored promptly, indicating “technical flaws” in the current system.

He further flagged the issue of inflated electricity bills following the installation of smart meters, as well as concerns over data security and transparency in meter operations.

Contractual employees in the power department were being removed as part of the transition, and could impact maintenance and service delivery, he said.

Raising apprehensions about the proposed privatisation of electricity distribution companies, Rai said efforts are underway to hand over operations to private entities without adequate safeguards for consumer interests. The party has already opposed the privatisation move, saying it was against public welfare.

The Congress leader also demanded time-bound restoration of power supply after bill payments, third-party audits of the metering system, and stopping forced conversions without consumer consent.

He warned that with rising temperatures and increasing electricity demand, any disruption in supply or billing issues could lead to public unrest if corrective measures were not taken promptly.